Changes in Red Color Sensitivity over the Spawning Cycle of Female Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Male red nuptial coloration is a primary mating signal for three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus), and the retinae of both sexes are especially sensitive to red during the breeding season. Red sensitivity is an important aspect of female mate choice in this species, but only when they are ready to spawn and not over the entire breeding period. Here, we aimed to determine if the red sensitivity of female sticklebacks change over their repeat spawning cycle. To this end, we assessed retinal opsin mRNA levels and behavioral red sensitivity in females over this cycle. Both methods indicated that females were more sensitive to red during spawning than in the inter-spawning intervals. Relative expression levels of red color opsin genes (lws) and optical motor sensitivity were high during spawning, decreased after the spawning period, and then increased again 72-96 h later when they were ready to spawn again. Thus, female sticklebacks altered their color sensitivity according to need, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

[Climate suitability of Ziziphus mauritiana in the main planting areas of Fujian Province, China]. / 台湾青枣在福建主产区的气候适宜度.

Taiwan green jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) is a new fruit variety, with remarkable economic benefit. To achieve high quality and high yield of jujube in Fujian Province, we quantified the climate suitability model parameters of the jujube in main production areas of Fujian, and analyzed climate suitability characteristics and change trend of main production areas, based on the yield and meteorological data, combined with literature and phenological observation data and agricultural climate suitability model. The results showed that the model based on the equal weight summation method had the highest reliability. The climate suitability of jujube in main production areas of Fujian was higher, with most years being suitable or much suitable. From 1996 to 2013, the influence of climate conditions on jujube growth was generally in a good trend, which was conducive to the development of jujube production. The suitability of the main production areas in the whole growing season was ranked as temperature suitability>comprehensive climate suitability>sunshine suitability>precipitation suitability. September and October are the key period of water management. Our results are important in guiding production management and long-term planning of Taiwan green jujube in Fujian Province.

[Comparison of Therapeutic Effects Between Thermosensitive Moxibustion and Medication in the Treatment of Insomnia of Liver-Qi Stagnation Pattern].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the therapeutic effect of thermosensitive moxibustion (TSM) and medication in the treatment of insomnia patients with the syndrome of stagnation of liver-qi. METHODS: A total of 60 insomnia patients with the syndrome of liver-qi stagnation were randomly divided into TSM group and medication group (n ＝ 30 in each). Mild moxibustion was applied to bilateral Taichong (LR 3) and Qiuxu (GB 40) alternatively till the patient experienced an intense warmth (diathermic, heat transmission, etc.) feeling in the local region. The treatment was conducted once daily for 15 d. Patients of the medication group were ordered to take Estazolam tablets (1 mg/d) 1 h before sleeping, once daily for successive 15 days. The sleep quality (sleeping quality, falling asleep time, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, hyponotic and day time dysfunction, 0－21 points) was evaluated by using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The therapeutic effect was assessed in accordance with the "Guide Principles for Clinical Trials on New Drugs of Chinese Materia Medica (1993)" and international united sleep efficiency value. RESULTS: Following the treatment, the PSQI of both groups were significantly decreased relevant to their own pre-treatment (P<0.05), but without significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Of the two 30 cases in the medication and moxibustion groups, 12 (40.00%) and 20 (66.67%) had marked improvement, 7 (23.33%) and 6 (20.00%) were effective, and 11(36.67%) and 4 (13.33%) were invalid, with the effective rates being 63.33 % (19/30) and 86.67% (26/30), respectively. The effective rate of the TSM group was significantly higher than that of the medicine group (P <0.05). CONCLUSION: Thermosensitive moxibustion applied to the source points of the Liver and Gallbladder Meridians can improve the quality of sleep in insomnia patients with syndrome of liver-qi stagnation.

Analysis on micronucleus of peripheral blood lymphocytes in workers exposed to power frequency electromagnetic fields / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of long-term exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields on the occurrence of micronucleus in peripheral blood lymphocytes and the lymphocyte transformation in transformer substation workers. METHODS: By simple random sampling method,54 workers exposed to power frequency electromagnetic fields for more than 1. 0 year and other 54 non-exposure workers in 500 kV transformer substations were chosen as the exposure group and control group,respectively. The peripheral venous blood of subjects in these two groups was collected,and then the lymphocytes were separated. The micronucleus cell rate,the micronucleus rate and the lymphocyte transformation rate were detected and analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group,the micronucleated cell rate,the micronucleus rate,and the lymphocyte transformation rate of the exposure group and its different length of service subgroups( ≤ 10. 0and > 10. 0 years) showed no statistical significance respectively( P > 0. 05). CONCLUSION: The long-term exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields has no obvious effects on the micronucleus and lymphocyte transformation in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of exposed workers.

Paenibacillus physcomitrellae sp. nov., isolated from the moss Physcomitrella patens.

A Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain XBT, was isolated from Physcomitrella patens growing in Beijing, China. The isolate was identified as a member of the genus Paenibacillus based on phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic inferences. The novel strain was spore-forming, motile, catalase-negative and weakly oxidase-positive. Optimal growth of strain XBT occurred at 28°C and pH 7.0-7.5. The major polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and several unidentified components, including one phospholipid, two aminophospholipids, three glycolipids, one aminolipid and one lipid. The predominant isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The diamino acid found in the cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major fatty acid components (>5 %) were anteiso-C15 : 0 (51.2 %), anteiso-C17 : 0 (20.6 %), iso-C16 : 0 (8.3 %) and C16 : 0 (6.7 %). The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 53.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, showed that strain XBT fell within the evolutionary distances encompassed by the genus Paenibacillus; its closest phylogenetic neighbour was Paenibacillus yonginensis DCY84T (96.6 %). Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, strain XBT is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus physcomitrellae sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is XBT ( = CGMCC 1.15044T = DSM 29851T).

Larvicidal activity of lansiumamide B from the seeds of Clausena lansium against Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

The larvicidal activity of crude petroleum ether, toluene, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, and methanol extracts of the seeds of Clausena lansium was assayed for their toxicities against the early fourth instar larvae of Aedes albopictus. The larval mortality was observed after 24-h exposure. The LC(50) value of petroleum ether extract was 22.99 ppm, showing the best larvicidal activity among all six solvent extracts. A cinnamon amide compound lansiumamide B (N-methyl-N-cis-styrylcinnamamide) was isolated from the petroleum ether extract by column chromatographic method, which exhibited a strong larvicidal activity against the early fourth instar larvae of A. albopictus with LC(50) and LC(90) values of 0.45 and 2.19 ppm, respectively. The structure was elucidated by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR spectral data. The larvicidal activity against mosquito of lansiumamide B from the seed of C. lansium was evaluated for the first time.

[Integrated risk evaluation of multiple disasters affecting longyan yield in Fujian Province, East China].

In this study, an index system for the integrated risk evaluation of multiple disasters on the Longyan production in Fujian Province was constructed, based on the analysis of the major environmental factors affecting the Longyan growth and yield, and from the viewpoints of potential hazard of disaster-causing factors, vulnerability of hazard-affected body, and disaster prevention and mitigation capability of Longyan growth regions in the Province. In addition, an integrated evaluation model of multiple disasters was established to evaluate the risks of the major agro-meteorological disasters affecting the Longyan yield, based on the yearly meteorological data, Longyan planting area and yield, and other socio-economic data in Longyan growth region in Fujian, and by using the integral weight of risk indices determined by AHP and entropy weight coefficient methods. In the Province, the Longyan growth regions with light integrated risk of multiple disasters were distributed in the coastal counties (except Dongshan County) with low elevation south of Changle, the regions with severe and more severe integrated risk were mainly in Zhangping of Longyan, Dongshan, Pinghe, Nanjin, and Hua' an of Zhangzhou, Yongchun and Anxi of Quanzhou, north mountainous areas of Putian and Xianyou, Minqing, Minhou, Luoyuan, and mountainous areas of Fuzhou, and Fuan, Xiapu, and mountainous areas of Ninde, among which, the regions with severe integrated risk were in Dongshan, Zhangping, and other mountainous areas with high altitudes, and the regions with moderate integrated risk were distributed in the other areas of the Province.

[Spectral characteristics of different discharge modes in air dielectric barrier discharge].

The electron energy in the transition from streamer discharge to glow-like discharge in dielectric barrier discharge in air was investigated by using emission spectra. The vibrational temperature was measured with the N2 second positive band (C3II(u) --> B3II(g)) of the emission spectrum. The average electron energy was investigated from the relative intensity of the nitrogen molecular ion line at 391.4 nm and the nitrogen molecular line at 337.1 nm. It was found that the vibrational temperature and the relative intensity of nitrogen molecular ion line at 391.4 nm increased abruptly in the transition from streamer discharge to glow-like discharge. It was also found that the pressure for the transition pressure from streamer discharge to glow-like discharge changed with different gap distances, but the product of the transition pressure and gas gap width remained constant.

[Influence of pressure on plasma temperature in air/argon dielecteic barrier discharge].

Electron excitation temperature and molecule vibrational temperature in argon/air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at different gas pressure with water electrodes were studied by using optical emission spectra. The spectral lines of Ar I 763. 51 nm(2P6 --> 1S5) and Ar I 772.42 nm(2P2 --> 1S3) were chosen to calculate electron excitation temperature by the relative intensity ratio method. The emission spectra of nitrogen band of second positive system ( C3 pi(u) --> B3 pi(g)) were measured at the same time. The molecule vibration temperature was estimated by the emission intensities of different bands with delta(nu) = -1, delta(nu) = -2, and delta(nU) = -3 in nitrogen band of second positive system, using Boltzmann's plot method. In addition, the relative line intensities of nitrogen (0-0) band of first negative system at 391.4 nm and (0-0) band of second positive system at 337.1 nm were also measured to study the variation of electron energy. It was found that the electron excitation temperature decreased from 4 700 to 3 300 K and the molecule vibrational temperature decreased from 3 200 to 2 900 K with increasing gas pressure from 20 to 60 kPa. Besides, the ratio of I(N2+)/I(N2) also decreased with pressure increasing from 20 to 60 kPa, indicating that the average electron energy decreases with the gas pressure increasing. These results are of great importance to the study of plasma dynamics of dielectric barrier discharge and also to the underlying industrial applications.

[Determination of electric field distribution in dielectric barrier surface glow discharge by spectroscopic method].

In the present paper, stable glow discharges were obtained in air at low pressure with a dielectric barrier surface discharge device. Light emission from the discharge was detected by photomultiplier tubes and the research results show that the light signal exhibited one discharge pulse per half cycle of the applied voltage. The light pulses were asymmetric between the positive half cycle and the negative one of the applied voltage. The images of the glow surface discharge were processed by Photoshop software and the results indicate that the emission intensity remained almost constant for different places with the same distance from the powered electrode, while the emission intensity decreased with the distance from the powered electrode increasing. In dielectric barrier discharge, net electric field is determined by the applied voltage and the wall charges accumulated on the dielectric layer during the discharge, and consequently, it is important to obtain information about the net electric field distribution. For this purpose, optical emission spectroscopy method was used. The distribution of the net electric field can be deduced from the intensity ratio of spectral line 391.4 nm emitted from the first negative system of N2+ (B 2sigma u+ -->X 2sigma g+) to 337.1 nm emitted from the second positive system of N2 (C 3IIu-B 3IIg). The research results show that the electric field near the powered electric field is higher than at the edge of the discharge. These experimental results are very important for numerical study and industrial application of the surface discharge.

Weight reduction by Chinese medicinal herbs may be related to inhibition of fatty acid synthase.

Fatty acid synthase (EC 2. 3. 1. 85, abbr. FAS) is reported as a potential new therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity. Thirty one Chinese medicinal herbs used in weight reducing prescriptions of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) were investigated for FAS inhibition. It was found that 17 of these herbs exhibited FAS inhibitor activity, and 9 were highly potent FAS inhibitors. The inhibitory potencies of the active components of tuber fleeceflower root, parasitic loranthus, green tea leaf and ginkgo leaf were similar to or greater than cerulenin and C75. The first three of these four herbs significantly reduced body weight of rats upon their oral incubation. Moreover, tuber fleeceflower root and parasitic loranthus significantly reduced food intake in rats. These results indicate that many of weight reducing herbs used in TCM do so by inhibiting FAS. They also hold promise for the development of new nontoxic and low cost weight reducing substances from these herbs.